Snap-seal.



No. 719,643.' PATBNTED FEB. 3, 1903.. E. J. -BROOKSl SNAP SEAL.APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1902.

-HO IODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDW'ARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

SNAP-SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,643, dated February3, 1903.

Application filed September 29, 1902. Serial No. 125,234. (No model.)

T0 cir/ZZ whom/ t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Snap-Seals, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to self fastening seals or snap-seals, as theyare commonly termed,for use as substitutes for lead and wire seals andother self-fastening sealing devices to secure the doors of railwayfreight-cars and for other sealing purposes. Previous forms of suchsnap-seals are set forth in my specifications forming part of UnitedStates Letters Patent No. 679,104, dated July 23, 1901; Nos. 696,002 and696,003, dated March 25, 1902, and No. 697,375, dated April 8, 1902, andin my previous specifications therein referred to.

The present invention consists in a snapseal adapted to be made Vwhollyof sheet metal, in which one end of the shackle is made to guard thesnap-fastening of the other end against being tampered with, and thus torender highly secure a relatively inexpensive seal.

The invention further consists in certain novel combinations of parts inthe improved seal, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Asheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively face and edge views of the shackle ofthe improved seal fiat. Figs. 3 and 4 represent magnified longitudinalsections of the respective shackle ends. Figs. 5 and 6 are small-scaleelevations of the improved seal, showing it, respectively, before andafter the fastening operation. Fig. 7 represents a magnified sectionthrough the seal part and shackle ends of the fastened seal, and Fig. 8represents a like section through the seal part alone in a plane atright angles to that of Fig. 7.

Like reference letters and numbers refer to like parts in all thefigures.

The improved seal is composed of a flexible shackleA and apermanently-hollow seal part B, both of tin-plate or'like sheet metal,and is designed to fasten together a pair of cardoor staples C or thelike, as in Figs. 5 and 6.

The shackle A is preferably and conveniently of the custom ary shape andproportions,

as represented in Figs. l and 2, and is thus adapted to be embossed andprovided with any desired distinguishing-marks in the sheet to besevered therefrom by a shearing operation and to be threaded through apair of cardoor staples or the like in the same manner as the shacklesof lead and wire seals. Its respective ends 1 and 2 are of the peculiarconstruction represented by Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, said shackleend 1 being pro vided with a member or members of a snapcatchcombination--for example, a hole a t0 interlock with a catch or catchesb within the seal part B and a supplemental catch or catches c tointerlock with one or each of a pair of lips d at the sides of the inletD of said seal part. Said endl is further provided with a stop or stopse, opposed to said catch or catches c, or, in other Words, located closethereto and between the same and mid-length of the shackle. (See Fig.1.) Said stop or stops are consequently above said catch or catches inthe fastened seal. (Compare Figs. 5, 6, and 7.) The other shackle end,2, Fig. 4, has a longitudinal slot f, adapted to receive the snap end l,as in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, and to be temporarily fastened thereon againstthe stop or stops e by the catch or catches c, as in Fig. 5, andpermanently held against the'top 3 of the seal part B by said stop orstops e when the seal is fastened, as in Figs. 6 and 7, said slot beingpreferably and conveniently formed in a dome g, raised on the shackle,as in Fig. 4, and said top 3 having a matching dome h, within which theinlet Dis formed. The inlet D is thus located within the dome g of thecatch-guarding shackle end 2 when the seal is fastened, as in Fig. 7,and any tampering with the catches b and c Within the seal part by theinsertion of tools or implements into the inlet D is thus eectivelyprevented.

For the purposes of the leading feature of the present invention theseal part B may be of any known orimproved construction suited to thenovel construction ofthe shackle A. As shown in Figs. 6v to 8,inclusive, its shell is completed by a body-piece 4, united with saidtop 3 by a circumferential seam 5, and said catches b are carried by a U-shaped middle piece 6, the ends of which are rigidly held in and bysaid seam 5, as set forth and claimed f or the like until the shackle iscut or the seal part destroyed.

In addition to the combinations set forth and claimed in myspecifications forming part of said Letters Patent the combination of aiiexible shackle of sheet metal constructed with a catch-hole near oneextremity thereof and a supplemental snap-catch adjacent to saidcatch-hole adapted to resist the withdrawal of the shackle-end, theother` shackle end being secured by suitable means, and a seal parthavinga top or cap piece constructed with an inlet-hole and a U-shapedmiddle piece, the latter` carrying` a snap-catch to interlock with saidcatch-hole within theseal part, said supplemental catch being arrangedto simultaneously interlock with said cappiece, is claimed in mycompanion speciication forming part of an application for patent, filedAugust 1, 1902, Serial No. 117,977, and the combination, in a snap-seal,of a hollow seal part of sheet metal composed of two disk-shaped pieceshavingits chamber formed by concavo-convex portions of both pieces ofsubstantially equal depth and having one of its pieces provided with aninlet and inwardlyprojecting rigid lips or vestibule-Walls,a flexibleshackle of sheet metal constructed with snap-catches to interlock withsaid vestibulewalls Within the seal part and provided with an externalinlet-guard surrounding the shackle and having a roof-shaped body Withinwhich the convex top of the seal part projects, and means for securingthe other end of the shackle, is claimed in my companion specificationforming part of an application for patent, filed September 6, 1902,Serial No. 122,425. All such combinations set forth in my previousspecifications are hereby disclaimed in favor of such previousspecications, respectively.

The term snap-catch in the appended claims is intended to mean one ormore snapcatches and the term stop one or more stops, as hereinbeforedescribed and indicated, and the term sheet material is intended toinclude equivalents of sheet metal, such as sheet-Celluloid.

Having thusdescribed said improvement, I claim as my invention anddesire to patent under this specification- 1. A snap seal composed of aflexible shackle, of sheet material, having one end provided with onemember of a snap-fastening and with a stop that is above the same in thefastened seal, and its other end provided with a slot through whichprotrudes that portion of the end first named below said stop, and ahollow seal part having an inlet and provided internally with the othermember vof such snap-fastening, and adapted to interlock with theshackle end rst named and to have its inlet guarded by the other shackleend.

2. 'The combination, in a snap-seal, of 'a flexible shackle having oneend provided with one member of a snap-fastening Vand with a stop thatis above the same in the fastened seal, and an inlet-guarding endhavi'nga dome raised thereon and slotted for the protrusion therethroughof that portion of the end first named below said stop, and a hollowseal part provided internally with the other member of suchsnap-fastening, and having a convex top provided with its inlet andadapted to project within the dome of said inlet-guarding shackle end.

3. The combination, in a snap-seal, of a flexible shackle having one endprovided with a catch-hole and with a stop that is above the same in thefastened seal, and an inlet-guarding end having a slot for theprotrusion therethrough of that portion of the end rst named below saidstop, vand a hollow seal part provided internally With a snap-catchadapted to interlock with said catch-hole, and having an inlet that iscovered and protected by said inlet-guardinggshackle end.

4:. The combination, in a snap-seal, of a flexible shackle having oneendprovided with a snap-catch adapted to resist the withdrawal of suchshackle end and with a stop that is above the same in the fastened seal,and an inlet-guarding end having a slot for the protrusion therethroughof that portion of the end first named below said stop, and a hollowseal part provided internally with lips arranged -to interlock with saidsnap-catch, and having an inlet that is covered and protected by saidinlet-guarding shackle end.

5. The combination, in a snap-seal, of a exible shackle having one endprovided with a catch-hole near its extremity and a snapcatch adapted toresist the withdrawal of such shackle end and with a stop that is abovethe same in the fastened seal, and an inlet-guarding end havingaslot forthe protrusion therethrough of that portion of the end first named belowsaid stop, and a hollow seal part provided internally with a snap-catchadapted to interlock with said catch-hole and lips arranged to interlockwith the snap-catch first named, and having an inlet that is covered andprotected by said inlet-guarding shackle end.

6. The combination, in a snap-seal, of a flexible shackle having one endprovided with a catch-hole and with a stop that is above the same in thefastened seal, and an inlet-guarding end having a dome raised thereonand slotted for the protrusion therethrough of that portion of the endrst named below said stop, and a hollow seal part provided internallywith a snap-catch adapted to interlock with said catch-hole, and havinga convex IOO IIO

top provided with its inlet and adapted to project within the dome ofsaid inlet-guarding shackle end. l

7. The combination, in a snap-seal, of a flexible shackle having one endprovided with a snap-catch adapted to resist the withd rawal of suchshackle end and with a stop that is above the same in the fastened seal,and an inlet-guarding end having a dome raised thereon and slotted forthe protrusion therethrough of that portion of the end first named belowsaid stop, and a hollow seal part provided internally with lips arrangedto interlook with said snap-catch, and having a con- Vex top providedwith its inlet and adapted to project Within the dome of saidinlet-guarding shackle end.

S. The combination, in a snap-seal, of a flexible shackle having one endprovided with a catch-hole near its extremity and a snapeatch adapted toresist the withdrawal of such shackle end and with a stop that is abovethe same in the fastened seal, and anin1etguard ing end having a domeraised thereon and slotted for the protrusion therethrough of thatportion of the end first named below said stop, and a hollow seal partprovided internally with a snap-catch adapted to interlock with saidcatch-hole and lips arranged tO interlock with the snap-catch firstnamed, and having a convex top provided with its inlet and adapted toproject within the dome of said inlet-guarding shackle end,substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EDWARD J. BROOKS. Witnesses:

ELLEN J. BROOKS, ELINOR BROOKS.

